south), Colonel Ricardo Rada commanded the left, or northern wing, while in the centre there were three brigades under Colonels Jose Asensio, Saenz de Buruaga, and Fernando Barron. Escámez attacked on 6 February at Ciempozuelos and overran the Republican forces from 18 Brigade which lost 1,300 men. Rada's men took La Marañosa hill, high, which overlooked both banks of the Jarama. The two Republican battalions atop La Marañosa vainly stuck to their cliff-top defences and fought there to the last man. By 8 February the west bank of the Jarama was in Nationalist hands and on 9 February Rada's troops had secured the high ground opposite Vaciamadrid. While the Nationalists had managed to quickly gain their objectives on the flanks, those in the centre had not fallen so easily. Saenz de Bruaga's brigade managed to secure Gozquez de Abajo, about from the Jarama and Asensio's column had taken San Martin de la Vega, ultimately the force that had been allocated to the centre of the Nationalist advance proved too small to effect a breakthrough during the initial assault. Although elements of General Sebastián Pozas' Army of the Centre had begun to take flight, the Republican line was stabilized when Enrique Líster and El Campesino showed up with their veteran brigades on 8 February. Reinforcements appeared on the east bank of the Jarama and the Republic's army reorganized its defences, forestalling any enemy crossing. In addition, heavy rain flooded the river and held up fighting for two days. Nationalists cross the river On 11 February a small group of Moroccan regulares crossed the river undetected and crept up to the positions of the Republican XIV International Brigade near the Pindoque railway bridge at Vaciamadrid. As they had learned to do in the Rif War, the regulares slipped inside the enemy perimeter and silently cut the throats of the sentries. Nationalist cavalry under Barrón followed them across almost immediately and attacked the fleeing XIV International Brigade. Nearby, Barrón's column, braving heavy Republican fire, charged across the and established a bridgehead on the other side. The Republicans had laid demolition charges on the bridge, but although they were detonated, the bridge remained intact. Further south, Asensio attacked the village of San Martín de la Vega, where Republican machine gunners brought his advance to grief before being silenced by Moroccan and Legionnaire knifework. At this point, Nationalist troops under Varela crossed the river in